Preserving the Foundations of a Free Society
The Free Enterprise Institute advances the principles of ordered liberty, free enterprise, and the Western intellectual tradition through scholarship, education, and the sponsorship of serious ideas.
The conservative is concerned, first of all, with the regeneration of the spirit and character—with the perennial problem of the inner order of the soul, the restoration of the ethical understanding, and the religious sanction upon which any life worth living is founded. This is conservatism at its highest.
— Russell Kirk
Our Mission
The Free Enterprise Institute was founded on the conviction that the ideas which undergird a free society must be cultivated, defended, and transmitted to each new generation. We exist to support the institutions, scholars, and publications that carry this work forward.
As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, we operate in the tradition of those who understood that liberty is not self-sustaining — it requires the active stewardship of citizens who love it. Our work is funded entirely by the generosity of donors who share this conviction.
Through our sponsorship of The Imaginative Conservative and other initiatives, we bring the great conversation of Western civilization to a new generation of readers, thinkers, and leaders.
The Imaginative Conservative
Founded to carry forward the tradition of Russell Kirk, T.S. Eliot, and the great conservative men of letters, The Imaginative Conservative is a journal of ideas dedicated to the permanent things — beauty, truth, and the good society.
Each week, scholars, writers, and thinkers from across the English-speaking world contribute essays, reviews, and reflections on culture, politics, history, and the life of the mind.
Why Your Support Matters
Stand With Us
The work of preserving and transmitting the principles of a free and ordered society depends entirely on the support of those who believe in it. Your gift to the Free Enterprise Institute sustains the scholarship, publication, and education that make this mission possible.